pentecost - osv curriculum division · easter not only celebrates the salvation jesus won for us by...

©Our Sunday Visitor Curriculum Division

Pentecost

Background to Pentecost

Pentecost ends the Easter season. It is a fitting end to a joyous event that is celebrated over seven weeks. Pentecost is often referred to as the birthday of the Church, and the day the Church celebrates the gift of the Holy Spirit. As an aside, some Scripture scholars actually re-fer to Calvary as the birthday of the Church. Water and Blood flowed from the side of Christ—water representing baptism and Blood representing the Eucharist. Since both are initiation sacraments that incorporate new members into the Church, the Church was thus born on the day water and Blood flowed from the side of Christ. It is safe to say, however, that Pentecost is the gift of God’s presence that gave birth to the Church’s mission.

Pentecost is the celebration of the last action of Paschal Mystery. The Paschal Mystery refers to Christ’s life, passion, death, Resurrection, and the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Easter not only celebrates the salvation Jesus won for us by his death and Resurrection, it also celebrates the mission that was entrusted to us by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Origins of Pentecost The Feast of Pentecost historically is rooted in harvest images. It was connected with the gathering of the harvest. People anxiously waited for fruit to ripen during the spring season’s fifty days. The Feast of Pentecost has roots in the Jewish Feast of Pentecost (The Feast of Weeks: Shavuot). The Jewish feast was a celebration of the grain harvest.

The Feast of Weeks: Shavuot. The origin of Pentecost is rooted in the Jewish feast of gathering the grain harvest. The feast begins after Passover. A period of seven weeks is set aside. Each day is counted for the next forty-nine days. The remembrance ends on the fiftieth day—Shavuot/Pentecost. Pentecost means fifty. The number fifty represents the period of time from the barley harvest to the wheat harvest (fifty days).

In the New Testament, Christians place more importance on the Jewish feast of Passover. As a result this feast does not get much attention. St. Paul refers to the Feast of Shavuot in his letter to the Corinthians (I Corinthians 15:20-24). He compares the feast to the ministry of Jesus. Jesus is the “first fruits.” Jesus was the first to rise from the dead. He rose from the grave/ground to new, eternal life. Jesus fulfill’s the Feast of Shavuot. As a result of his rising from the dead, all believers will be gathered (harvested) into God’s kingdom of heaven. The Gathering of the Harvest is an important symbol for the kingdom of God, and for the Church in the Old and New Testament.

In later Jewish history, the Shavuot was associated with Israel’s salvation history; such as Moses receiving the Ten Commandments, and God making the people of Israel into the People of God.


The Christian Feast of Pentecost celebrates the gift of the Spirit. This feast takes the place of the grain harvest and the Law. n the Old Testament the Israelites were made into the People of God. In the New Testament and new covenant with Christ, Christians were formed into the Body of Christ.

Origins of the Liturgy of PentecostAs Pentecost grew in importance, the feast was counted from Easter Sunday, making Pen-tecost the eighth Sunday after Easter Sunday. The Church of the East always insisted that Pentecost was the end of the Easter season. The Church of the West (Rome), at the Council of Constantinople, declared the Holy Spirit was divine. As a result, the focus of the Pentecost liturgy changed. A liturgy that once celebrated the whole mystery of Christ’s saving event on the cross (the entire Paschal Mystery), became an individual feast that only considered the sending of the Holy Spirit.

The Second Vatican Council restored Pentecost to its connection and unity with the Resurrec-tion, Ascension and the sending of the Spirit. The General Norms for the Liturgical Calendar states: “The fifty days from Easter Sunday to Pentecost are celebrated in joyful exultation as one feast day, or better as one ‘great Sunday’” (22). Even though the unity was restored, we still often focus more on only the Holy Spirit and not on the Spirit’s connection to the entire Easter mystery. There are two liturgies of Pentecost: the Vigil Mass and the Mass During the Day. The Vigil Mass is not widely celebrated, since the Mass during the Day is usually chosen for the Saturday evening liturgy before Pentecost Sunday. Pentecost brings the great fifty days of Easter to an end. The Paschal Candle is taken to the baptismal font.

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) calls the seven weeks of Easter the period of mystagogia or post-baptismal catechesis. During this time the new Catholics reflect on their experience of the sacraments they received at the Easter Vigil: baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist. They gather on the Feast of Pentecost for a special celebration.

Pentecost continues to remind us that the Spirit of God still strengthens the Church to do God’s work. The feast reminds us that the Spirit continues to build the Body of Christ. We are reminded that the Holy Spirit challenges, teaches, and seals us permanently to Christ. We live in the reign of God in the present time as we wait for the reign of God to come in heaven. The liturgy of Pentecost strengthens us to be a voice for the world’s poor, oppressed, and spiritually hungry.


How to use this seasonal lesson

1. Celebrate the prayer first and respond to the conversion-centered questions for reflection.

2. Assist students to learn more about the Feast of Pentecost by reading the Seasonal Background; allowing time for their personal reflection and writing.

3. Use finding out more at your discretion: 1) What do the Scriptures of Pentecost teach us about the feast? 2) What is a Sequence?

4. Remind the students about the questions for their personal reflection. Perhaps invite them to write their answers in a personal journal. (See the end of this document for a listing of the reflection questions.)

Environment• Place a glass container with oil on a red cloth. Include two small bowls of hand lotion nearby. • Incorporate other images of the Holy Spirit as available and as you wish. The Catholic Catechism (694-701) lists symbols of the Holy Spirit: water; anointing; fire; cloud and light; the seal; the hand; the finger; and the dove. Perhaps include as many symbols of the Holy Spirit, as space and availability would allow. For example, while the primary symbol will be oil and should have prominence, perhaps a bowl of water could be placed in the environment as well as a larger candle than what is customary. Perhaps get a copy of Michelangelo’s “Hand of God” (maybe look online) or other pictures of various symbols such as clouds, a dove, etc. Light the candle before the prayer service begins.

Preparation• Identify a volunteer to read the Scripture passage; you may also want one of the students to serve as the prayer leader.• Choose one or two volunteers to take a bowl of lotion to each student so they can dip their hand in the lotion as part of the ritual action of this liturgy. • Choose which Response to God’s Word questions you will use.• Review the suggested song from the Call to Faith Grades 7 and 8 Music CD Set.


Celebrate Pentecost

Gather All make the Sign of the Cross.

Leader: O Lord, how good and gentle your Spirit is in us, alleluia. All: O Lord, how good and gentle your Spirit is in us, alleluia. If You Believe #4 GIA Publications, Inc. or Spirit of God #6 James Moore, 2002 GIA Publications, Inc.

Leader: Let us pray.

Bow your heads and listen as the leader prays.

Leader Prayer: Father of light, from whom every good gift comes, send your Spirit into our lives with the power of a mighty wind, and by the flame of your wisdom open our minds and our hearts. Loosen our tongues to sing your praise in words beyond the power of speech, for without your Spirit we could never speak words of peace or share the Truth that Jesus is Lord. We ask this through Christ our Lord. 1All: Amen.

1 Adapted from “Pentecost, Mass During the Day-Alternative Opening Prayer,” The Sacramentary.


Celebration of the Word

Acts 2:1-11

Reader: The Word of the Lord.All: Thanks be to God.

Reflection on the Word of God • The disciples were gathered in one place. The wind came and tongues of fire appeared on each of the disciples. Imagine being in that room. What would you be feeling? What impact do you think this had on the lives of the disciples? What impact do you think it would have on your life? If today you experienced what they experienced, what would you want to do with the rest of your life? What did they do? In what small way has God already accomplished similar things in you? Have you ever made a “bold proclamation” about your faith?

Response to God’s Word All pray

Sequence for Pentecost

Side A: Come, Holy Spirit, and from heaven direct on us the rays of your light. Come, Father of the poor; come, giver of God’s gifts; come, light of our hearts.

Side B: Kindly Paraclete, in your gracious visits to our soul you bring relief and consolation. If our soul is weary with work, you bring it ease; in the heat of temptation, your grace cools it; if sorrowful, your words console it.


Side A: Light most blessed, shine on the hearts of your faithful even into their darkest corners; for without your aid we can do nothing good, and everything is sinful.

Side B: Wash clean the sinful soul, rain down your grace on the parched soul and heal the injured soul. Soften the hard heart, cherish and warm the ice cold heart, and give direction to those who stray away.

Side A and B: Give your seven holy gifts to your faithful, for their trust is in you. Give them reward for their virtuous acts; give them a death that ensures salvation; give them unending bliss. Amen. Alleluia. 2

Intercessions

Leader: Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Savior has gathered his Church together through the power of the Holy Spirit. We come to him with confident hope.

All: Lord, make the whole world new.

Leader: Lord Jesus, when you were raised high on the cross, streams of living water flowed from your pierced side. Pour your living water, your life-giving Spirit on us.


Leader: You promised us the Holy Spirit to teach us all things and remind us of all you taught us in the Gospel. Anoint us and enlighten our minds so that we can be effective witnesses of your Truth.


Leader: Offer your own prayers of intercession and all respond: All: Lord, make the whole world new.

2 “Sequence, Pentecost Sunday,” The Lectionary.


Ritual Experience: Ritual in Remembrance of the Oil of the Spirit

Background for the catechist: Pope Paul VI said that the Holy Spirit is present in the oil of confirmation very much like Jesus is present in the bread and the wine in the sacrament of the Eucharist. As the prayer of blessing is prayed, one or two designated persons move to each person with a small bowl of hand lotion. Invite each person to dip his or her hand into the lotion. We rub in the lotion as a reminder of the Spirit that was given at Pentecost. Let it be a reminder of the oil that is given in baptism and confirmation.

Elevate the oil as the following prayer is prayed.

Leader: Lord God, We have been freed from sin by water and the Holy Spirit. You have given us new life. Continue to send your Holy Spirit to help us, protect us and guide us through life’s journey. As we rub this oily lotion into our hands let us be reminded that you call us to be effective witnesses of the Gospel. Send your Holy Spirit to strengthen us as we go forth. We ask this through Christ, our Lord.

All rub the lotion into their hands.

Question for quiet reflection: As you rub the lotion into your hands, close your eyes. What does the experience of oil on your skin say to you about the Holy Spirit? Why is oil one of the Church’s sacramental symbols?

Invite them to say out loud in short phrases…

Based on the experience of oil on my skin, I can with confidence say that…

The Holy Spirit is____________

(For example, the Holy Spirit is soothing, the Holy Spirit dwells deep within, the Holy Spirit seals Jesus permanently to our lives, the Holy Spirit is healing ointment, you can only rub the Spirit in, and you cannot rub the Spirit off, etc. Start off with an example and allow the students to interject their own phrases.)


Ritual Experience: Prayer of Blessing of an Image of Mary

Either sprinkle holy water on the image as you pray the prayer of blessing or place incense in a bowl with lit charcoal, and place the incense before the image as you pray the blessing prayer. The blessing ritual, ordinarily, is carried out in this way: 1) Slight bow before the object to be blessed, 2) bless by sprinkling the water or lifting the incense toward the object/person, 3) slight bow. After the object is blessed, the people are blessed in the same three step way. The actions come first, and then the prayer is said. (Bless both the large image and holy cards, if you have them available.)

Leader: Lord, in the blessed Virgin you have given your pilgrim Church an image of the glory to come. May those who have fashioned this likeness of Mary look to her as a model of faith and holiness for all your chosen people. Grant this through Christ our Lord. All: Amen.

Go Forth



Leader Prayer: Through Mary, the eternal Seat of Wisdom, God in his goodness has chosen to save the human race. May God fill us with his wisdom, and strengthen us to imitate Mary, our model of faith. We ask this through Christ our Lord. All: Amen. (Liturgy adapted from Blessing of an Image of Mary, Book of Blessings, 543-550)


Go Forth



Leader Prayer: (This day) the Father of light has enlightened the minds of the disciples by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. May God bless you and give you the gifts of the Spirit for ever. (Amen.) May that fire which hovered over the disciples as tongues of flame burn out all evil from your hearts and make them glow with pure light. (Amen.) God inspired speech in different tongues to proclaim one faith. May God strengthen your faith and fulfill your hope of seeing him face to face. 3

All: Amen.

3. Adapted from: “Solemn Blessing, Pentecost,” The Sacramentary.


Breaking Open the Ritual

Making a Difference When we are anointed in baptism and in confirmation we are gifted with a special strength of the Holy Spirit, to live as good disciples of Jesus. That is not always easy to do. What one area of your life needs to change if you are going to be an effective disciple of the Lord? Since change can only happen through the power of the Holy Spirit, what do you need to ask the Holy Spirit to change in your life? (Perhaps a bad attitude, perhaps an addictive behavior, per-haps nasty and mean treatment of others, etc.)

One young teenager had a great passion for helping poor people. He went with his diocese to Latin America to work with disadvantaged people his first year in high school. He wanted to devote his entire life to working with such people. Every time he saw his family wasting water he would preach to them about how the money that could be saved by not wasting natural resources could be spent to help the poor. On the other hand, this same teenager, when he gathered with his friends spent a lot of money on drinking beer. He knew it was illegal, that he was underage, but he did it anyway. One day he preached to one of his drinking friends about not wasting water. His drinking buddy said, “Do you know how many people you could feed with what you spend on beer?” This hit the young man right between the eyes. He made the decision to stop drinking and to be true to his convictions. He knew that he would need the power of the Holy Spirit if he were going stay committed to his decision.


Going DeeperFinding Out More

1) What do the Scriptures for Pentecost teach us about the Feast of Pentecost?

Scriptures associated with the Feast of Pentecost The Scripture readings that are chosen for feast days help us understand what the feast means. The following assorted readings help us understand the Feast of Pentecost.

The Tower of Babel People were not faithful to God. As a result they were in chaos. God increased their confusion by giving them all different languages. They could not understand one another.

Pentecost unites those people who were in chaos. The preaching in tongues at Pentecost was a sign that God reconciled and restored the human race. Everyone was able to understand one another’s language. The people were unified by the power of the Spirit.

God’s appearance to Moses The story of God’s appearance to Moses on Sinai to give him the Ten Commandments is connected with Pentecost, because of the tongues of fire and the rushing wind that appeared at Pentecost. God still is present to us through such signs. The Holy Spirit continues Jesus’ presence.

Ezekiel’s Dry Bones The people of Israel were in exile. They understood their captivity as a sign of God’s punishment due to their sin. They felt hopeless. Ezekiel gave them new hope. God sent the Spirit through his prophet to breathe new life into the dead bones of the people of Israel. God breathes new life to us when we lose our way. Pentecost is a celebration of the Holy Spirit that continues to lead the community. The Spirit helps the community find its way back when it is lost.

Prophecy of Joel Joel spoke of the coming of the Spirit upon the people of Israel. Peter quotes the prophet Joel in his speech at Pentecost. In the Old Testament the people believed that the Spirit would only come to a powerful prophet or Messiah. Joel changed that notion. He insisted that the Spirit would come upon the entire community. The people of the community would know God’s Law in their hearts. Knowing the Law meant that they would know God. Joel prophesied that when the Messiah arrived, the Spirit would come upon all believers—not just the leaders.


(Pentecost Vigil First readings: [Tower of Babel: Genesis 11:1-9] [Giving of the Law to Moses: Exodus 19: 3-8a, 16-20a] [Ezekiel and the dry bones: Ezekiel 37:1-14] [Joel and the coming of the Spirit: 2:28-32])

St. Paul and the Holy Spirit In Paul’s letter to the Romans the Spirit does not just restore believers, the Spirit restores the entire universe—the cosmos. People are in bondage to sin. They/we are powerless. Only God’s Spirit can change us and strengthen us to endure. The Spirit uplifts all creation. (Pentecost Vigil: second reading, Romans 8:22-27)

The story of Pentecost This reading reminds us that the Church is larger than just the original Twelve Apostles. Pentecost begins the Church’s mission to go out and tell the Good News about Jesus to the entire world. The Pentecost story in this reading reminds us of the story of Moses on Mount Sinai. The Twelve Tribes of Israel being present in the desert at Sinai. The Twelve Apostles are present at this event. A thunderous noise shook Mount Sinai. A noise filled the whole house in this story. God appeared in the burning bush on Mount Sinai. The Holy Spirit appeared as tongues of fire at Pentecost. God will speak (symbol of the tongues) and be present [symbol of the fire] in a language all will understand. The Holy Spirit will strengthen all believers to go out and speak a new word to all people. The list of regions named in this reading is a reminder that we are living in the last age (the eschatological age). The new people of Israel (those living in the last age) are reconciled to God. Through the power of the Spirit they are now able to understand one another, each in their own native language. (Readings for Pentecost Sunday (During the Day); first reading, Acts 2, 1-11)

Psalm in praise of God’s creation Psalm 104 is a psalm in praise of the God of creation. The wisdom tradition of the Old Testament taught that the Spirit of God was present, and participated in the creation of the world. “Renewal by the Spirit” in the Old Testament probably referred to the springtime renewal of the earth. Christianity used the term to mean the renewal of all creation, especially the People of God in the last age. (Responsorial Psalm 104:1ab, 24ac, 29bc-31,34.)


2. What is a sequence? Today and on Easter Sunday the sequence is sung. The sequence is a special hymn in re-membrance of the feast that is being celebrated. It is sung after the second reading and before the Gospel. The sequence comes before the Alleluia. The Veni Creator (the Latin name for the sequence for Pentecost) was written by Stephen Langton, the thirteenth century Archbishop of Canterbury. All of the effects of the Holy Spirit’s presence and action are poetically set forth in the sequence assigned to Pentecost Sunday. The hymn mentions the Spirit’s light, comfort, consolation, guidance, healing, refreshment, forgiveness, warmth, and joy.

There are presently only four assigned sequences for the liturgy: Easter Sunday Victimae Paschali Laudes (“Praises to the Paschal Victim”), Pentecost-Veni Sancte Spiritus (Come, Holy Spirit”), Corpus Christi- Lauda Sion (“Praise Zion”), Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows- Stabat Mater, (“The Mother Stood”).

These are beautiful hymns that express our theology about the feast. Unfortunately, some par-ishes do not sing the sequence. They are an important part of our tradition and worthy of our reflection. For this reason the sequence is included in our ritual prayer.

Question for reflection and sharing:

Questions for personal reflection • The gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. Consider those gifts and what they mean. Look up words such as fortitude and counsel, in the dictionary if you do not know what they mean. Take each word, and write a sentence about what that word means (especially as the word relates to the spiritual life), and secondly write a sentence or more about how those gifts are present in you. Take a few moments to thank the Holy Spirit for such gifts.

• One of the suggested songs asks the Holy Spirit to come down and set God’s people free. From what in your life do you need to be freed?

• If the Spirit empowers us for mission in the world, how is the Spirit calling you into that mission? \What one concrete action is the Spirit asking you to take?

pentecost - osv curriculum division · easter not only celebrates the salvation jesus won for us by...

Documents